"We are working on wedding jellies, which have an internal structure so they can have tiers, and disco jellies, which are lit up from inside.

"We have made alcoholic jellies like our Bloody Mary one, which was a huge success. And there was a Coca-Cola one - and yes, it did keep its fizz.

"We make fruit jellies of course and vegetable ones. Our radish effort proved popular, but the leek and potato was a bit of a flop.

"We can make jellies in any shape you want by creating oneoff bespoke moulds. We recently did a jelly banquet for the London Festival of Architecture, which included jellies shaped like St Paul's Cathedral, the Taj Mahal and the Millennium Bridge - it really was a 'wobbly bridge'."

Friends since they were kids, the two have always shared a love of cooking, but it was only 12 months ago that they devised their plan to set up their jelly business, Bompas & Parr.

"Last year I realised our local Borough Market sold lots of meats and pastries but nothing light, so we started thinking about selling desserts," says Sam.

"Then we had a dinner party where we created a blackcurrant jelly which sat in the middle of the table and became the talking point of the evening.

"So we decided it was time to revive the traditional jelly - Britain used to be the world leader in jellying."

At first they tried to fit it in with their full-time jobs, Harry was a trainee architect while Sam worked in public relations.

But earlier this summer they decided to devote their careers to jelly.

And it didn't cost them much to get "set" up and running.

"All it takes to create a jelly is beautiful fresh fruit - which we buy in our local market - and gelling agents," says Sam.

"We have coped up till now working from my kitchen, though our big problem is finding fridge space. When we did the recent banquet, we had jellies sitting in eight fridges all over London.

"In future, we will have to move into professional premises. We are also planning to invest in transport - we like the idea of an old-fashioned ice cream van."

These days, most of us associate jelly with ice cream and children's parties, but that wasn't always the case.

Sam insists: "We are reviving an old tradition when jelly used to be the highlight of a meal.

"Victorians didn't decorate their dinner tables with flowers, they used jellies.

"These provided entertainment as well as food, because as people ate they joggled the table, and the jellies would wobble - and people love to watch jellies wobbling.

"It's the same today. There's even a video on YouTube that shows jelly wobbling. It's been watched 300,000 times!"

It seems the wobble factor is the key to a jelly's success. Which is why, with the help of Stephen Gage, Professor of Innovative Technology at University College London, Sam and Harry have come up with an ingenious invention of their own.

"It's a waggle engine, made with windscreen wipers, which you can place below the jelly to give it more wobble," says Sam.

"We are also working on creating a jelly spoon which will have a flat surface, so that you can slice into a jelly without the whole thing collapsing."

In fact, he reckons their business has endless potential.

He says: "We have done workshops with school kids who made some wonderful creations. We are working with artists and sculptors, and swapping ideas with TV chef Heston Blumenthal.

"Apart from all that, this is just really good fun. For most people, setting up a business means they have no time for a social life, but we are invited to at least two parties every night.

"At the Festival of Architecture we had dancers in jelly costumes and guests were asked to come as something tasty.

"We had people dressed as trifles, a corn on the cob and one group of boys came as a packet of Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles."

What, not Jelly Babies?

SAM'S TIPS ON MAKING A PERFECT JELLY

Use fresh fruit, not a packet mix - you will be amazed at the difference.